History glossary
Regent
a person who exercises a monarch's governing powers on their behalf, often during a minority, absence or incapacity.
- Category
- Political office
What it means
A regent governs in the name of a reigning monarch rather than holding the crown in their own right. The arrangement may be temporary, but regents can gain substantial political power. In Ethiopia, Ras Tafari Makonnen, later Haile Selassie, became regent under Empress Zewditu in 1916 before succeeding her as emperor in 1930.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Ethiopian Empire
From Tewodros II's reunification drive to Haile Selassie's overthrow, Ethiopia defended independence, expanded imperial power, modernised unevenly and held a unique place in modern African history.
The Elizabethan Age
Elizabeth I’s reign brought stability, cultural flourishing, exploration, and victory over the Spanish Armada.
Kievan Rus
The founding of the Rus’ state in the north.
The Kim Dynasty
North Korea’s Kim dynasty built a nuclear-armed regime, maintaining power through crises and control.
Feudalism and Medieval Society
From the estates of Charlemagne's empire to the flowering of Gothic cathedrals, this story explores how feudal hierarchies, manorial agriculture, and Church authority shaped the lives of kings, knights, and peasants alike.
Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic World
From Philip II's military reforms to the fall of the last Hellenistic kingdom, this story follows Alexander's conquests, the wars of his successors, and the spread of Greek culture across the ancient Near East.
The Qing Dynasty
From Manchu conquest to republican revolution, the Qing dynasty built China's largest empire, oversaw centuries of prosperity, and then struggled to survive foreign intervention, rebellion, and the collapse of imperial legitimacy.
Akbar the Great
A teenage emperor inherited a fragile dynasty. Conquest, alliances, revenue reform and religious enquiry transformed its reach—and exposed the costs of imperial power.
